Life-saving flotation device



March 12, 1957 Filed July 7, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet l l3 w INVENTORS JAMESF. BOYLE BY MYRON L'. TAYLOR ATTORNEY 1 MariIh 2, 1957 J. F. BOYLE ETALLIFE-SAVING FLOTATION DEVICE Filed July 7, 1953 4 sheets-Sheet 2'INVENTORS JAMES F. BOYLE BY MYRON L.TAYLOR ATTORNEY-- -J. F. B'OYLEEI'AL 2,784,426

LIFE-SAVING FLOTATION DEVICE,

March 12, 1957 4 Shee'ts-Sheet 3 Filed July 7, 1953 FIG. 7

INVENTORS I JAMES F. BOYLE BY MYRON L.TAYLOR 4oM/9. ATTORNEY March 12,1957 BOYLE 2,784,426

LIFE-SAVING FLOTATION DEVICE Filed July 7, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 4INVENTOR JAMES F. BOYLE BY MYRON .L. TAYLOR ATTORNEY 2,7 84,426LIFE-SAVING FLGTATION DEVICE James F. Boyle, Teaneck, and Myron L;Taylor, Sea Girt,

. J., assignors, by mesne assignments, to The Garrett Corporation, LosAngeles, Calif., a corporation of California Application July 7, 1953,Serial No. 366,571 8 Claims. (Cl. 9-17) This invention relates toinflatable life-saving flotation devices such as garments and belts.

Its chief objects are to provide an improved flotation device dependablyadapted to keep the face of the wearer well out of the water and wellprotected against splash of the waves, which is of especial importanceto pre vent drowning in case the wearer becomes unconscious; to providean improved device having adjustment for providing a high center ofbuoyancy, in relation to the center of gravity of the wearer, forstability of position of the wearer in the water when that considerationis of major importance, as in the case of unconsciousness, rough water,or desire to avoid detection;,and, alternatively, a low center ofbuoyancy, for holding the wearer high in the water when the wearerdesires to have his head and shoulders well above the water and free formovement, as for observation and signalling purposes, or for comfort; toprovide variable distribution of the support of the wearers weightbetween different bodycontacting parts of the device, or shifting of themajor part of it from arm-pit support to seat support, for example; toprovide a device having both the flat-boat type and the ballast type ofstability; to provide for substantial constancy of position ofapplication of the ballast force to the buoyancy part of the device inspite of shifting of the wearers body in relation to the device, as forchanging his angle of inclination in the water; to provide comfort forthe wearer, especially in the case of a long stay in the Water; toprovide a device that can be comfortably and unobstructively worn as aloose-fitting belt when it is not called upon for service but whichnevertheless can be instantly put in the desired position and conditionfor service; to provide simplicity of construc tion and of manipulation;and to provide strength, lightness and durability.

Of the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view, from the front, of a life jacket embodyingour invention in its preferred form, the buoyancy portions of it beingcollapsed and enclosed in a belt-like, quick-opening, flexible envelope.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section on line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section, with parts in elevation, illustratingone of the inflating devices and its fluid connection to the inflatablebuoyancy member of the jacket.

Fig. 5 is a front elevation showing how the jacket is worn, as aloose-fitting belt, in readiness to be called into service.

Fig. 6 is a similar View, but with the belt like assembly raised to thearm-pits, by taking up of shoulder straps, for initial arm-pit supportof the wearer in the water, upon inflation of the jacket in that arm-pitposition.

Fig. 7 is a side elevation showing the jacket upon the wearer just afterits inflation.

Fig. 8 is a front elevation of what is shown in side elevation in Fig.7.

Fig. 9 is a corresponding rear elevation. Fig. 10 shows the jacket uponthe wearer after he has 2,784,426 Patented Mar. 12, 1957 shifted it fromarm-pit support, for freedom of the upper parts of his body, as forturning his head for observation or waving his arms to attract attentionof a possible rescuer.

Fig. 11 is fragmentary section, on a relatively large scale, forclarifying details that are less clearly shown in Fig. 9.

Referring to the drawings, the jacket comprises a C-shaped element 10,preferably a water-proof fabric, which serves as a protective andretaining enclosure or wrapperfor the inflatable member 11 when thelatter is folded and stored. The wrapper 10 is secured to the member 11throughout their length, as by an anchorage strip 11 Figs. 2 and 3, andis provided with snapfasteners 12, 12 having their male and femaleelements spaced along the respective long, horizontal, margins of thewrapper, these snap-fasteners being adapted to be disconnectedautomatically by the inflation of the buoyancy member 11, either by theusual compressed-gas cylinder devices 13, 13 or by the usualmouth-inflation valve-stem 14.

The inflatable member or cell 11 of the device, preferably of waterprooffabric, is so shaped that upon being drawn up to the arm-pit position,as in Fig. 6, and inflated, as in Figs. 7, 8 and 9, it has a large frontportion fitting under and supporting the chin of the wearer and sideportions or wings extending downwardly and rearwardly from the frontportion, past the arm-pits, and then upwardly and rearwardly back of theshoulders of the wearer, preferably with these several parts of the cellgripping the corresponding parts of the wearers body with appreciableforce, so that, even if the wearer becomes unconscious, his position inrelation to the flotation cell will remain substantially constant.

To contribute to this appreciable gripping, stability effect when thedevice is at the arm-pit position as in Fig. 6 and inflated as in Figs.7, 8 and 9, and alternatively to support the device at waist position,as in Figs. 5 and 10, an adjustable, Suspender-like strap 15 extendsfreely through anchorage loops 16, 16, Figs. 1 and 9, secured to theinner sides of the side wings of the cell, near their rear ends. Abovethe anchorage loops 16 the two reaches of the strap 15 are crossed and,extending forward over the shoulders of the wearer, they are adjustablyengaged in respective buckles 17, 17 mounted upon respective tabs 18, 18secured to the front lobe of the cell near its top, as by adhesion tothe cell of semi-circular base portions 18 18 of the loop-type tab.

To provide on occasion a seat for the wearer, a pair of seat straps 19,20, preferably of unequal length, as shown clearly in Figs. 7, 8 and 10,are secured to the wrapper member 10, as by sewing, at 19 20respectively, Figs. 1, 5 and 9, and thus they are secured indirectl, tothe low parts of the respective side wings of the cell, preferably atpositions about midway, foreand-aft, of the cell, or a little fartherforward, as shown, so that when the weight of the wearer is applied tothe seat straps it will, in conjunction with the flat-boat fore-and-aftstabilizing of the cell, ballast the cell to a position such that thefront and rear lobes of the cell, lightly gripping the upper torso ofthe wearer, will hold the wearer in an almost vertical sitting position,but permissibly with a little backward inclination, as illustrated inFig. 10.

The seat straps 19, 29 are provided at their outer ends with therespective elements 21, 22 of a T-and-slot quickdetachable fasteningdevice, shown clearly in Figs. 7 and 8.

In the use of the device it is worn, pending an emergency, as aloose-fitting, Suspender-supported belt, as in Fig. 5. When it is to beput in service, it preferably is raised to the arm-pit position, asshown in Fig, 6,

ture, for supporting therefrom weight of the wearers body, said seatstructure comprising a loop element secured at its ends to oppositesides of, and depending from, said buoyancy structure, said loop elementbeing flexible substantially throughout its length and disposed directlyfrom right to left, for engagement of said flexible loop elementtransversely under the body of the wearer as a transversely disposedseat.

4. A device as defined in claim 2 in which adjusting strap-anchoringmeans are secured to the chin-supporting portion of the buoyancystructure in spaced relation to each other and the shoulder-strap meanscomprises a single strap of which the middle part is the defined strapelement extending through the defined anchorage loops, the end reachesof said strap being adjustably connectable to the said adjustingstrap-anchoring means respectively.

5. A device as defined in claim 6 and including a flexible wrappersecured to and extending along the bodyengaging side of thedeflned'inflata'ble structure for retaining the latter in deflated andfolded condition, and means disengageable by inflation of the definedstructure for securing upper and lower margins of said wrapper to eachother.

6. A lifesaving flotation device comprising a flexiblewalled inflatablestructure having a front, bulbous, chinsupporting portion, and,extending downwardly and rearwardly therefrom, arm-pit-engaging sideportions spaced apart and thus defining between them a space adapted forreceiving the body of the wearer, said side portions having, incontinuation thereof, rearwardly and upwardly extending bulbous rearportions, and adjustable shoulderstrap means for holding said device tothe arm-pits and chin of the wearer, said structure having, at both thefront and rear of the wearer, substantially greater inflation capacityabove than below the arm-pit engaging parts of said structure, and saidfront portion having a greater inflation capacity than said rearportions, whereby the center of buoyancy of said structure is above andslightly forward of the central parts of the arm-pits of the wearer,assuming the wearer to be in a standing position.

7. A device as defined in claim 6 and including a flexible wrappersecured to and extending along the bodyengaging side of the definedinflatable structure for retaining the latter in deflated and foldedcondition, means connecting the defined shoulder strap means to thedefined inflatable structure, for connection of said shoulderstrap meansto said wrapper only through said inflatable structure when the latteris in inflated condition, and quick-detachable means for more directlyconnecting said shoulder-strap means to said wrapper when the inflatablestructure is confined, in deflated and folded condition, by saidwrapper.

8. A life-saving flotation device comprising a flexible buoyancystructure adapted to extend about the body of the wearer, in pressurecontact therewith, at one alternative position substantially at arm-pitheight and at another alternative position substantially closer towaistline height, and, having connection to said buoyancy structure,flexible tension means engageable over the shoulders of the wearer assuspender means, means for changing the effective length of 'saidtension means, and flexible tension means constituting a unitary loopsecured at its ends to the buoyancy structure at the right and leftsides thereof, respectively, the unitary loop thus being engageabledirectly from right to left under the body of the wearer as atransversely disposed seat, and the two said tension means being thusadapted to maintain the said buoyancy structure, alternatively, at eachof the two said positions in relation to the wearers body.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS952,763 Strohschein Mar. 22, 1910 1,209,200- Perotti Dec. 19, 19161,273,687 Stebbing July 23, 1918 1,552,751 Marriott Sept. 8, 19251,598,457 Sommer Aug. 31, 1926 1,856,632 Haines May 3, 1932 1,921,658Catarau Aug. 8, 1933 FOREIGN PATENTS 18,005 Great Britain of 1908110,632 Australia May 30, 1940 689,597 Great Britain Apr. 1, 1953

